Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea were known for their ability to grind out results, but Villas-Boas tried to introduce a more expansive style of play as part of his three-year project that left the team vulnerable in defence.

Despite the protests of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole to return to a win-first mentality to restore confidence, Villas-Boas refused to back down and eventually paid the price.

Di Matteo’s acceptance that, until the end of the season, results are much more important than performances has been well received by a squad concerned they could miss out on fourth spot and Champions League qualification for next season.

Now, following a dressing-down from owner Roman Abramovich, who threatened a huge summer shake-up if things do not radically improve, captain John Terry says the players must take Di Matteo’s message on board and show far more fight.

“We’ve done enough talking among ourselves for the last three or four months,” he said.

“Robbie Di Matteo came in and said exactly the same things as well, that we have to show our commitment.

“He has played here, just like Eddie Newton [Chelsea’s new assistant coach] so it’s nice to have familiar faces around who know the club. We must fight for the shirt. That’s the message.”

Terry, 31, made a sooner-than-expected recovery from knee surgery to take his place on the bench at Birmingham and is hoping to face Stoke.

“I’m delighted because initially they were saying I would be out for four to six weeks but, naturally, the medical staff are a bit cautious,” said Terry.

“There was a bit of bone floating off my meniscus and the surgeon had to shave it away. He didn’t touch the knee whatsoever and it was all fine. I spoke to the surgeon because I didn’t want to just rush into it but there is no pain at all.

“I’ve been working hard in the gym doing triple sessions and going back to Cobham [Chelsea’s training ground] in the evenings on my own.

“It has been tough but the target was always to be back for the Stoke game, so it is a massive boost for me that I can get some more days’ training under my belt.”

Chelsea yesterday bowed to fan pressure over ticket prices after announcing a freeze on the admission cost for all domestic fixtures at Stamford Bridge next season, as well as cutting it for any Champions League group games the club plays.

Last year the Blues imposed a price hike virtually across the board, with a 33 per cent increase for European matches, prompting a Twitter campaign for fans to boycott the fixtures.

The club responded yesterday by announcing a 12.5 per cent reduction in the cost of attending group-stage games should they qualify for the Champions League, with prices cut from £40 to £35 for adults, and from £20 to £17.50 for juniors and seniors.